More by Ashleigh

For the last six years, fans have come to know and love Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker on ABC’s award-winning comedy Modern Family. On a recent visit, Stonestreet opened up about filming Cam and Mitch’s big wedding in the season finale, which actor on the show he thinks is underrated, and if playing a dad on TV makes him want kids of his own one day.

What’s your favorite thing about playing Cam?“Probably my favorite thing about playing Cam is obviously the opportunity to make people laugh. First and foremost, all I ever wanted to do as an actor is get a job where I could go on TV and create and build a character people would identify with, and a close second, if not right there with it, is the idea that Jesse and I are both getting to have cultural impact with marriage equality and what it is to be a gay person and have the struggle of how to come out or when to come out. We’ve had a part in that, because people tell us we’ve had, so that’s been a real honor as well.”

What was it like to shoot Cam and Mitch’s wedding, considering the national conversation surrounding gay marriage right now?“Well, it really wasn’t a different shooting day for us when we shot the wedding. You still show up at 6 o’clock in the morning, you still go through hair and makeup, and Jesse [Tyler Ferguson] and I, I think we were both kind of ignoring the impact of it because we didn’t want to change the way we come to work every day and portray the characters. But when we blocked the scene for crew and when the directors and everybody could see what was going to happen and where it was going to take place, we were both wearing our sunglasses and when we got down to the end of the aisle, just kind of walking through the steps, we both had tears in our eyes. It means something for Mitch and Cam obviously and the people that have come to love Mitch and Cam. But you know, it means something for us too, because we are invested in their lives just as much as everyone else. It’s special for Jesse and me as friends, it’s special for us as actors, and it was a great day. My parents, my real parents, happened to be there that day, just in town, and they were in the restaurant when we were out getting married. It was cool all around.”

What’s it like behind the scenes of Modern Family when you’re all together?“Those are our favorite days, when we’re all together on the set of the show. We don’t get to spend as much time with each other as people think, because we do shoot the show so modularly. So I don’t see Sofia [Vergara] as much as I would like to see Sofia. So when we are together, we have a great time and we have to focus up and the crew is there to work and get the job done and sometimes we can get pretty gabby and catch up with each other and we have to be focused up.”

Aside from Cam and Mitch, whose story lines do you enjoy the most?“You’ve got to love Phil and Claire, but I love Ed [O'Neill] and Sofia. Even though he’s Ed O’Neill, I mean famous Ed O’Neill, I still feel like he’s underrated as an actor. I think he serves as such an important voice for so many people. One of my favorite episodes this year and favorite scenes is when he and Jesse had it out in the hallway at their house, where he’s like ‘When do I get to be me? Why can’t I just be me?’ I feel like he just speaks for so many people who maybe struggling about what it is to have a gay friend, a gay son, a gay brother or whatever that might be, and I love that our show doesn’t shy away from those moments. I think it’s important and I think Ed is such a tremendous actor.”

Do you ever want to have kids of your own?“I definitely want to have kids of my own someday. I mean more than I want to have kids, I want to have kids with the right person some day. Never put the cart before the horses in that scenario. But yeah, I enjoy working with kids. I love having kids around and giving them back to their parents and then going on doing my single guy, single life thing, but kids are for sure in my future some point.”

What was life like growing up in Kansas?“I would say I was a pretty average kid. I played baseball and football and did track and field. I had pigs and cows. I was in 4H. I had chores in the morning from I think probably the third or fourth grade on until I was in high school, and every day after school. It was great. I’m proud to be from Kansas. I’m proud that that’s where I was brought up. I can’t say I love spending too much time when I go back to Kansas. I’ve been spoiled by Los Angeles weather and the climate. I don’t miss snow. I miss going and seeing snow and walking in it and then I really enjoy leaving snow. But my parents still live in Kansas City and I’m proud that’s where I’m from.”

What were you like in high school?“I was kind of a jock I guess. I was also Student Council president and I also remember I wanted to be a clown. So on the weekends I would do Fizbo the Clown at birthday parties. So I don’t think you can say I was one sort of thing in high school. I thought I wanted to go to the Marines at some point in high school. I thought I wanted to be a DJ. I never said I wanted to be an actor as a kid. That never crossed my mind until I went to college and found that at Kansas State University. I was just like everybody else: probably not a great kid some of the time, tried my best most of the time. Wasn’t a great student, probably said things that I wouldn’t ever say now, probably did things that I wouldn’t ever do now, but for the most part I stayed out of trouble and didn’t give my parents too much grief.”

When did you get bit by the acting bug?“The first time I got the bite of acting was in college. I got dared to audition for a play because I was bored with college life. Like I said, I was not a good student. I am not the person to talk to about getting good grades, kids. So my friend dared me to audition for the play, and I said I would if he did, and he did. I got cast in a play called Prelude to a Kiss and it was fun. I enjoyed the people that I was working with, I liked the idea of standing downstage and stage right and all that, and afterward people told me I was good at it and I believed them and it stumbled forward from there.”

How did you get involved with Merial and Nexguard?“The reason I got involved with Merial and Nexguard is they identified me as a dog lover and a lover of a specific adopted dog named Coleman Hawkins. They are sponsoring a challenge right now, ‘A Million Steps For Healthy Happy Dogs.’ You can go to 1millionstepsfordogs.com. What we’re asking you to do is commit to a taking a 20-minute walk with your dog and committing that you’re going to give your dog a healthy flea and tick management medicine. In this case, Merial is going to donate one million dollars worth of product to selected dog shelters across the country once we get those million steps committed. That’s how you can help dogs. I encourage everyone to do that. It’s an important thing. I love my dog.”

We love keeping up with Coleman on Twitter. Has all of the fame gone to his head?“Coleman’s fame I don’t think has really gone to his head mostly because he’s a dog and he doesn’t know… no, I’m just kidding! You know, I think Coleman’s pretty aware he’s a special guy because of the people in his life and the way he’s treated. He’s a lucky, lucky fellow; he’s got a nice yard, a lot of areas he can patrol—his nickname is ‘Coleman the Patrolman.’ He feels pretty important and I always make sure he feels like he’s got a real job to do. I think he’s pretty happy with his life.”

Do you ever bring Coleman to set?“I don’t bring Coleman to set usually, because like I said he’s got a really great place at home and unfortunately he has to stay in my trailer and then he’s just barking around like, ‘why do you put me in jail? I had this really great place with a lot of trees and bushes, and now I’m looking at this couch? What would you do this to me for?’ So he doesn’t really go to work with me.”